Rivals
by Incandescent Foxfire
Summary: Yes, it's true...even I liked pokemon once, but only a select few. Vaporeon was one. Here, a stoic vaporeon must cope with life. Will he succeed? Please R&R. PG-13 for violence


--This is my story. I once role-played a character named Atlantis, who once was...gasp...a vaporeon. Whenever you see the talk inside these, it means they're talking like "Vap, vapor, vap-eon eon eonvap" etc. So, just picture them like that. Rated PG or PG-13 for violence. Yeah, I know...a pokemon story with violence...anyways. Enjoy!  
Rivals  
  
The sound of footsteps drawing nearer was clear. The human...the trainer...would be able to see him soon. However, this was the one beach this trainer would not be happy to see. With a flash of blue, he was upon the middle-aged boy. With a flash of attacks, jaws and claws, the trainer cried out, bleeding terribly already. The blue blur ran off into the brush, disappearing as quickly as it appeared. The determined boy quickly stood, and drew out two red and white spheres. With a quick fling, both of them appeared in front of the strange evolution creature. Two large, majestic animals then stood to their full height, towering over him. This was it; a pokemon battle...and the blue, smaller creature already had blood...human blood...dripping from its jaws.  
The other two were easy-to-know animals. The larger of the two was a Chansey, the nurse's pokemon. The other was a Vileplume. This was going to be a tough battle.  
Perhaps it's better to run...and abandon a fight with a trainer? Never!! The blue pokemon thought.  
The trainer jumped back into view, and called out to his "servants", "Now's the time, attack him! Vileplume, try to weaken him with status effects!"  
Now of course, any good trainer knows a Chansey is way too dopey to attack. With a quick agility move, the blue blur dodged the Chansey and looked behind him to watch it fall flat on its face. With that, he turned and made repeated slashes at the Chansey's back. However much vitality the Chansey had, the trainer obviously wasn't a good one. He focused more on attacks than the pokemon's strengths. The Chansey quickly fell.  
The Vileplume now decided to attack. A cloud of yellow dust came from between the pedals of the strange living flower, towards the blue creature. Just then, the blue blur fired a small stream of water from its mouth, bursting through the cloud, and pegging the Vileplume in the face. It also fell victim to a single attack. Both of them turned and glowed a magnificent red, and then shot back to their owner, who now stood, dumbfounded.  
The bloody pokemon stepped into a good view of the trainer. The Vaporeon narrowed his sparkling, sapphire eyes towards the human, and took a single step towards him. The trainer fell backwards then, then got up, and turned around, running off...screaming like a little kid. The Vaporeon snickered evilly...  
Another trainer bites the dust. He thought to himself.  
Atlantis the Vaporeon wandered back over to a small stream, which led to the ocean that he lived in. He washed the blood off his claws and face, and then wandered off to begin hunting for his dinner...  
The next day...  
Atlantis woke up to hear stirring in the water around him. He looked up, and then swam upwards to the surface, looking out to the sunrise, which made his skin glitter. A little girl, a human, was wandering through the shrubbery, and also collecting shells. The poor child must've been no more than 9 years old. Atlantis wandered down the beach towards her...slowly...as if to kill.  
The girl looked up, startled. She obviously knew her pokemon, and she smiled brightly as the sparkling Vaporeon was headed straight for her.  
"Will you be my pet?" she called out, expecting to see him nod...nothing. Atlantis just kept approaching, and now the girl began to get afraid. Atlantis just narrowed his eyes in hatred a little more, still padding slowly along the sand, the surf washing up around his paws.  
"St-stay away, mean pokemon!!" the girl cried out, now stepping backwards quickly. She stumbled, then fell backwards over a rock, just as Atlantis leaped, so he flew right over her, skidding in the sand as he fell back to Earth. Atlantis looked over at her and snarled, and just then, she cried out, "...Vaporeon, Dratini, go!"  
From her necklace, two spheres flew out to the ground and popped open, and the two came out. Of course, a little girl had to have female pokemon, someone or something that she could talk to. The two pokemon stood in front in front of their master, growling angrily at him...they had reason to; he attacked for no reason.  
The Vaporeon growled lowly at him, then spoke in their own language...so the Dratini couldn't take part in their conversation, What're you doing!!? No wild pokemon does this! Attack little, innocent children!  
Atlantis replied fiercely, No human, no trainer is innocent! Don't you realize what she has done? She has stolen away your freedom, your honor!  
The female Vaporeon shook her head, You...you have no honor to steal away! I wasn't captured; I came to her willingly! I told her it would be a good idea if she captured a male so I would have someone to talk to!  
Atlantis took a step back, turning his head away, Hmph. Me, talk to someone like you...? Don't make me laugh. I would never talk with anyone like you.  
The female stepped forward, I actually thought you were pretty handsome, the way your scales sparkled. But it appears that it is true: never fall in love with someone for looks. But tell me, why are you so...so...evil?  
Because I can.  
That's no reason. Let me at least tell you my name...  
I don't want your name.  
...Princess. She calls me Princess.  
I said-  
I don't care! I don't care about you anymore! You're terrible! Now leave.  
But...I want to fight! With that, Atlantis leaped forward towards the Dratini, his superior strength knocking it to the ground. Though all this time, he could only hear, "Vapor, vap vap, vaporeon, eon eon, vapor. Eon, etc...and now he was unconscious...  
Princess looked up and hissed, remaining close to her trainer. She lowered to the ground in a defensive maneuver, her sapphire eyes mixed with a hint of carnation color. Atlantis turned towards her and the fight began. The poor little girl screamed and cried out, as the two Vaporeons became a mix of blue and red, once the blood began to spill. Atlantis faltered once, and Princess was upon him, tearing at his soft flesh. Atlantis hissed in pain, his sapphire jeweled eyes turning towards Princess, mixing with red from fury, or just the reflection of the blood. Atlantis knew that because of his one mistake, he was now weak, and had no chance of winning the battle.  
Princess raised her paw; claws outstretched, and slammed it down into Atlantis's face for the deathblow. It hit its mark square on, and three red lines appeared down Atlantis's face as he was rocketed harshly into one of the rocks jutting up from the ground. The little girl fainted...  
Princess whispered harshly, ...There, she's asleep. Now I have my choice of whether to kill you, or let you live.  
Atlantis didn't respond, except for a low-rumbling growl. Princess padded up to Atlantis, and then...began cleaning his wounds...  
Oh so typical...Atlantis thought to himself as the blood on his face disappeared.  
As Princess began licking his neck to clean those wounds, Atlantis's left forepaw swung outwards, catching Princess in the chest. Atlantis rolled up to his paws, and once again, the battle was on...but no more blood...this became a struggle for power.  
Atlantis lowered himself to the ground, and four blue spheres appeared around his neck fin. He stood proudly on the rock, and let out a small cry as the four orbs began spiraling slowly around his neck fin. A wave of surf crashed into the beach, showering him with the sea mist that fell from it, and his whole body then began to sparkle. Princess stepped back, dazzled by the performance. Atlantis raised his back upwards, arcing it. The surf rushed up to the rock and began swirling around it. The ground began to quake and tremble, little rocks soon being caught by the gaining power of the whirlpool. Then, a column of water shot straight upwards, forming around Atlantis. He snickered...this would be enough to finish Princess off so that he may kill her...  
The last thing Princess saw was that giant column of water suddenly racing towards her. When she woke up, she found she couldn't stand, and pain was flowing through her body. Merely a few seconds of unconsciousness had passed. She knew this because Atlantis now stood in front of her.  
"...Vap...or..." she groaned piteously.  
Atlantis snickered and said, Hold on. He raised his right paw and touched three claws to Princess's face, and suddenly jerked his paw. Princess cried out in pain as her blood dripped on the ground, and Atlantis just smiled.  
Princess shivered then spoke again, ...Fine, you won. Are you happy?  
I am happy to see you in pain.  
You're evil...You're awful...you..  
I know. Everyone says that. But I have a good reason.  
What is it?  
Trainers are even more evil.  
Oh? I don't think so. I like Kasia...She's so sweet, and especially nice to her pokemon.  
Yeah well, that's your trainer. As Atlantis talked, he began cleaning the wounds on Princess's face. Kasia woke up, and she smiled happily, even when Dratini returned to his pokeball because it was unconscious.  
She said with an innocent child's voice, "So you two are friends now?" she giggled happily at the thought of the two potential lovebirds.  
Trainers are evil...I cannot allow her to capture me...But after that fight, and that Hydro Pump attack...I don't know if I could escape from one of those upgraded pokeballs, Atlantis thought to himself. He was done cleaning most of Princess's wounds, and she was licking at his back to clean his own.  
Princess looked at Kasia finally and said, "Vapor...Vap, vaporeon, eonvap, vapeon. (I hope...but, with someone like him? No, we can't be friends...)"  
Kasia looked as if she were going to cry then. She sniffled and looked at Atlantis, then cried out, "You're even mean to Princess? I hate you!"  
Atlantis didn't respond. He didn't smile, but he frowned a little. He looked up to realize the sun was setting already...the day went by so quickly it seemed impossible.  
He said softly, There is a small town with pokemon center and inn not 1000 yards away. You may rest there. Just tell no one about the trainer-hating pokemon.  
Princess nodded and relayed the information to Kasia. She nodded and ran off into the bushes in the direction of the town.  
Princess looked at Atlantis and said softly, ...You're even cuter in the sunset...Just try not to be so evil. You may learn to appreciate trainers.  
Yeah, right...And pikachus fly...Atlantis thought to himself as Princess glowed red then shot off towards her pokeball...  
About a week later...  
Atlantis woke up to hear the cries of men, strong men, in the distance. They were shouting orders to each other, it seemed. Followed by the shouts, the sound of the forest being trampled by Ryhorns was heard. A familiar voice was heard in the distance...Princess! Atlantis padded through the shrubbery to a small clearing, and a Ryhorn intercepted him, hitting him head-on. Atlantis fell back, and the Ryhorn cried out for its trainer and the others, as if he was their target. Princess's cry was heard, and Atlantis realized his fears were true; they were hunting for him! A gunshot was heard, and the dirt to one of his sides was kicked up, as he span around and bolted back for the ocean, the three Ryhorns just beginning to gain a little speed.  
As soon as the ocean was clear in his sights, he knew he had made it, because the Ryhorns couldn't follow. He dove into the waters, crashing up against the waves, slicing through them like a knife. The Ryhorns stopped, and their trainers came into view behind them, crying out stuff like, "Hey, there he is!" "He's out in water!" "Get 'im!"  
Atlantis blinked, then saw Kasia with the Dratini, and a Goldeen, and...Princess. Atlantis hissed silently at her, having a good feeling that this all was her fault. Princess stepped back, as if his hiss had slapped her in the face. It wasn't her fault after all. Atlantis then turned towards the adults.  
It had to be them. They forced Kasia to tell. Atlantis thought.  
Little had he noticed that while he was cursing at Princess, the trainers had thrown out a good amount of their pokemon. Now there was an Ekans, Seadra, Pidgey, Wartortle, Magikarp, and his worst fears...Gyrados, chasing after him.  
Atlantis dove down under the water, swimming as fast as he could towards the bottom. Only the Seadra, Wartortle, and Gyrados would be any threat to him. The Wartortle sent the water around him into a whirlpool, and slowed his movements, while the Seadra formed bubbles all around him, so he couldn't see, and the Gyrados finally caught him in its mouth. They all surfaced as the Gyrados tried sinking its fangs into Atlantis's skin.  
The Gyrados made a few good scratches and cuts with its razor-sharp teeth, and then spat him out in front of the trainers, whom quickly netted him. He looked up to Princess, who was...crying? The tears in her eyes were clear. She had to be crying.  
He was taken to a pokemon police center and just locked up. He was told he'd be given a harsh trainer, one that would really discipline him.  
Somebody is then going to get killed...he thought.  
A few hours passed, and then Kasia walked back in...maybe just to visit.  
"I brought someone who wants to see you!" she whispered excitedly, as if she didn't want officer Jenny to hear. She held out one of the pokeballs to Atlantis. He sniffed at it, and as his nose touched it, a sudden warm glow surrounded him, and the ball fell out of Kasia's hands. Atlantis glowed red as he struggled against the glow and he was thrown into the sphere. From his past battles, and the drugs that Jenny was giving him, he had no strength to resist it. He rocked back and forth, but the struggle ended quickly.  
Kasia stood up and ran off, just as Jenny walked back in. She ran off giggling, and a few seconds later, a voice was heard.  
"Hey, we have a thief here! Someone stole that Vaporeon!"  
Within minutes, Kasia was in her back yard, which had everything most pokemon would ever want. There was a pool in the middle of the forestry, the open door to the house, clear skies above. Almost paradise. The treetops all tangled together, so the back yard was basically a building within itself.  
Kasia released all of her pokemon. This consisted of the Goldeen, Dratini, Horsea, and Princess...as well as Atlantis now. Atlantis wandered over to the far side of the pool, while the three others played in it. Princess, however, watched him carefully from the other side of the pool, and then struck up a conversation. While all the others could only hear them saying syllables of "Vaporeon," they could easily understand each other.  
Princess began, I'm watching you because I know if I don't, you'll try something.  
Atlantis replied sarcastically, I've become that predictable?  
Obviously.  
Hmph. I'm too tired to even run, much less attack. Jenny put me on some drug...  
You'll be fine by tomorrow...  
I'm sure. With that, he simply fell asleep.  
The next day...  
Atlantis woke up with a terrible headache. He looked up to notice that none of the other pokemon were around; it was only him in the backyard. He padded over to the wall of trees that made up Kasia's backyard, and began to sink into them, when a sudden stream of water slammed him in the side, sending him into the tree to his left side.  
Princess emerged, stepping into view, As I thought...you couldn't be trusted...see, Kasia?  
The girl nodded slowly, "...Yeah...but what're we gonna do with him? He doesn't wanna be your friend, so..."  
Princess snickered a little and whispered something to Kasia...what Atlantis didn't hear was, "...Just give me a little time..."  
She padded over to Atlantis with a slight hint of seduction, her eyes narrowed a little with a wicked smile curving across her lips as she said softly to him, Did I hurt you, little boy?  
Atlantis snarled, Back off, trainer's pet.  
Ooh, such harsh words. You think you're a big, bad boy, don't you? She raised a claw to his chin, moving Atlantis's mouth mere inches from her own, and then said with dominance, I'm not afraid of you...  
Atlantis moved his head, turning it away from her, Get away from me. If I were at full strength, you'd be dead by now. I've had more than one chance to kill you.  
Princess, more than disappointed because all on Atlantis's mind was killing, finally lost it, Fine then, be that way. Just...Just leave! and she turned around, sobbing loudly, a tear already falling from her eye. She ran back to Kasia, muttering something to her. Kasia looked over at Atlantis, tears forming in her eyes too. Then, seeing he was free, Atlantis ran off into the brushes, inhaling deeply through his nose to see where the ocean was. He could still hear Princess crying into Kasia's bosom as he searched grandly for the ocean...  
A month in the future...  
Atlantis woke up, full of energy. After the morning hunt and cleansing, he wandered along the ocean. Things here weren't the same as Kasia's backyard. There was just no one. He sometimes met another pokemon, but 9 times out of 10, it proved to be a hostile meeting.  
However, through one of these meetings, he learned that Kasia had entered herself into a tournament. Atlantis, feeling bored now with his life, decided that he'd somehow sneak into the tournament and watch...  
  
The day of the tournament...  
Atlantis found a trainer walking all four of his pokemon into the tourney area, and Atlantis walked among them, as if he were one of them. This is how he got into the tourney. Of course, it had already begun, and was through round six out of 9 rounds, 9 being the championship. Kasia passed with flying colors, and she still was at the 8th round.  
Atlantis, acting like he was a normal spectator, watched from the stands. The "gym" they were battling in was incredibly simple. The floor was pathetically simple. No grass, ice, or anything else of importance...though, it did open up to reveal a swimming pool below it. Basically, the floors were two panels, and they slid open to reveal the water beneath. When the floor panels were closed, they had boulders covering their surface. It pretty much made a little canyon on the ground there. But, from pervious battles, the rocks were beginning to wear and crumble.  
As Kasia and her opponent stood up to their stands, the floor slid open. Atlantis smiled; he always wanted to see a full-water battle, and of course, Kasia would throw out Princess; electric-types weren't allowed.  
The official signaled for the match to begin, and Princess's opponent would be...Shellder? The clam pokemon immediately sunk to the bottom of the pool, and Princess dove gracefully in. Atlantis padded over to the side of the tournament floor, so he could see the battle. The pool then lifted out of the ground, and it then became like a giant fish tank.  
Princess finally looked over and noticed Atlantis, and her surprise was quite evident. Atlantis snickered evilly, and Princess shot him a glare, then looked back to her opponent. Shellder remained in its spot, so Princess swam slowly over to it, and began scratching at its shell. They were small, weak scratches; Princess was trying to intimidate the poor creature.  
The announcer made one of those announcer voices you always hear, "Aaaaand it looks like Princess can't penetrate the Shellder's tough shell!!"  
Shellder then opened up; slowly, shyly. It was then that princess gave him a swift scratch, right in the eyes. Shellder rocked backwards as his trainer gasped, and started hopping around...way too over exaggerating (but of course, it was a lass...). Shellder then lost it, lost all commands from his trainer, and began slamming itself into Princess, beating her back into a corner. Ironically, it was the corner right where Atlantis was standing.  
Princess finally began to bleed; it looked like she was about to pass out. Every time she tried to move, Shellder gave her another good slam. She was usually hit in her stomach, where she had no bones, or in the side, where the bones stop. Blood flowed out of her mouth, turning the water around her a little red, and Atlantis's smile faded. Seeing her like this...getting nearly killed, and perhaps she would die if no one stopped the Shellder. Her eyes were closed tightly to help take the pain, and she refused to cry out in pain. Atlantis, for once feeing sorry for the poor Vaporeon, raised his paw up to the glass. He couldn't take it any longer. He bolted around the corner and looked to Kasia...  
"Vap, vaporeon, eon eon, por, eon...vap! (Hurry. Tell Princess Acid Armor...now!)"  
"...Wha...You?!" She cried out.  
"Vap vaporeon! (Don't argue with me!)"  
"...Al...Alright..." She hesitated, then yelled out, "...Princess! Acid Armor now!"  
Princess looked through the glass to Atlantis and Kasia, and then closed her eyes softly. Shellder's last blow caught her right in the tender diaphragm, and that was it. Princess closed her eyes softly and became limp. Shellder took one more hit to her, and the glass behind her cracked. Princess then actually floated to the top of the pool, completely unconscious. Also...she wasn't breathing.  
"Oh...Oh, no!" Nurse Joy exclaimed, "She's badly wounded. I...I don't know if I can..."  
Kasia immediately ran outside, not wanting to even hear about the chances that her favorite friend might never open her eyes again. Atlantis, however, stood by Joy's side until the Chanseys carried him away. He then waited anxiously outside the office.  
It was hours after then that they got the report on Princess's health. She would be fine; she just needed to recover. Kasia had won that match, but needed her for the championship match against some ninja dude. However, Princess wasn't even awake yet.  
Atlantis stepped forward, quickly volunteering for the job. It was his way of paying back for how mean he was to the two...or so he said. Actually, he just wanted to hurt the other trainer. But he vowed to leave Kasia alone, because she actually did treat pokemon fair. She was to be the only exception though.  
The battle began, and the floor remained there. The ninja sent out Geodude, and Kasia sent out a Bulbasaur. The Geodude used the rocks for its cover, but in the end, the Razor Leaf attack annihilated the poor, poor Geodude. It fell to the ground with spirals in its eyes.  
The ninja's next move was an Electabuzz. Kasia quickly switched pokemon, and sent out Ponyta. Ponyta ran fast, but Electabuzz's electric attacks were faster. However, Ponyta didn't go down without a fight; Electabuzz was too weak for another battle at the end.  
The third battle then called for the pool to once again reopen. Kasia told Atlantis to wait; she would use him as the final weapon. Until then, she sent out a Pidgeotto. The ninja called forward an Arbok. Though the two fought for about 10 minutes, Pidgeotto ended up carrying Arbok off the water, before she herself collapsed from the Arbok's poison.  
It was Atlantis's turn now. He dove into the water as the pool once again rose to become the aquarium. Atlantis waited patiently on the bottom of the pool for his opponent, who happened to be a Blastoise.  
The battle began of course at close-range, with Blastoise tumbling here and there, trying to hit the agile Atlantis with his stubby claws. At the end of that part, Atlantis stood on Blastoise's back in mockery. He then looked to Kasia, who just nodded slowly at him in gratitude.  
Blastoise's cannons then revealed themselves, and Atlantis quickly hopped off. Blastoise once again rose to its feet, its limbs sinking back into its armor shell. The large turtle then lay on the ground, and began spinning, creating a little whirlpool. His claws then once again showed themselves, and he tried drawing Atlantis into the claws for a near-fatal attack.  
Atlantis replied by using all of his fins to power himself against the current, until he rocketed around with the current, but he used his agility to land once again on the spinning Blastoise's back. Blastoise finally stopped spinning, and its head popped out, spirals in the eyes.  
Atlantis looked down at his opponent, his sapphire jeweled eyes sparkling a little. Blastoise, in rage, threw Atlantis off of him, and then attempted to ram him.  
Atlantis quickly slid off to the side, and Blastoise slammed into the glass wall, nearly shattering it. Atlantis turned to face Blastoise, and a current of water began twirling around him. The ground rumbled, and the crowd murmured loudly amongst themselves. Atlantis narrowed his eyes, and Blastoise, stunned in fear, just stood there, shaking. Atlantis gained a magnificent, sapphire aura, sparkling brilliantly around his shining skin. His neck fin flared out, and his merfolk tail swayed gently. The aura ignited the water around him, making it glow with a strange, incandescent light. Finally, a jet of water flew from around Atlantis, with such a high pressure, that not only did it send Blastoise through the glass wall, but cracked his shell greatly.  
Atlantis stepped out of the now empty aquarium, and he stood once again over his fallen opponent. The official ran over, and then his left hand shot up, holding the green flag. Kasia shouted out with joy, happiness...none of those words could describe what she was feeling.  
The ninja looked over at Atlantis, and the Vaporeon responded by shooting him a deathly glare, then he began walking off, a limp to his right foreleg. Kasia took a few steps after, as if to try and stop him, but then she hesitated, and turned back, tears once again forming in her eyes. Even when she took the trophy, the smile that played across her lips was not genuine. Her heart was deeply saddened because she did not gain Atlantis as a friend.  
  
Some time later, at the beach.  
Atlantis padded along the soft sands, his life once again dull and boring. He still attacked trainers...four of them in the past 5 days. Two had pretty bad injuries, and his legend had expanded.  
So I've become popular...he thought.  
However, it was on one of those days, blood on his lips, that a familiar voice was heard, and Princess's nose guided her and Kasia to the location. Atlantis kept in the shadows so they wouldn't see the blood smearing his face and claws.  
Atlantis...Atlantis! I know you're out there. Answer me!  
"Yeah, Atlantis! Answer us!"  
Atlantis said softly, ...I'm here. and he smacked his tail on the ground to alert them.  
Princess ran over to where he was, and immediately saw the small bloodstains. She stepped back, not believing her eyes. Atlantis was still a killer, still the horrible beast he always was.  
Will you ever change...? She pleaded.  
No.  
What about Kasia? She's a nice trainer.  
I want to have no part in it.  
"..."  
"..."  
Finally, Princess turned and padded back to Kasia, muttering something to her, and Kasia ran over to Atlantis.  
"Come on...why won't you be friends with us?" she blinked her beautiful eyes, which actually matched the color of Atlantis and Princess's skin.  
Atlantis just looked up at Kasia, letting part of his face show into the light, revealing the stains of blood around his cheeks. Kasia stumbled backwards, falling. She regained her composure quickly and stood back up, but she was struck with fear.  
"Alright...go ahead. Show me that you're a killer. Cut my arm." She held out her right arm to him.  
Atlantis stood up, walking over to her, and he raised his arm. Princess was watching, not 10 feet away. Atlantis raised his left paw, and for a second, it looked like he would hesitate. He didn't. A red line of blood formed down Kasia's upper arm. She gasped, clutching the cut, and Princess hurried over to her trainer to help.  
Princess glared at Atlantis, as he turned and walked back to the darkness. She looked up at Kasia, and whispered something. The two turned and just left...without another word.  
  
  
Later that night, Princess returned. The moonlight above made the sea glitter. Atlantis was out on the beach, watching the tide roll in gently. The sparkling had the same effect upon his skin. He became aware of his visitor when an alien sparkle flashed before his eyes. He looked behind him to see none other than Princess.  
Don't you know what love is? She asked, a slight hint of anger to her voice.  
Why should I? It's worthless.  
Love? Worthless? Hah!  
You sound as if you like me...  
...And what if I do?  
"..."  
Princess walked up next to the rock, staring out at the ocean. Atlantis never took a second to even glance at her, nor she to him. Finally, after about a minute of silence, Princess spoke up.  
Did you ever love anyone?  
...For about a few hours, yes. Love actually took control of my mind.  
Oh?? When was this?  
I can't tell you.  
I expected that. She sighed. It was truly hopeless.  
Why do you keep talking about love?  
Isn't it obvious? Hasn't it been obvious from the start?!  
"..."  
I like you...and the strange thing is...I don't even know your name.  
...Atlantis.  
It's a wonderful name.  
Little did Atlantis realize that with every passing moment, Princess's tail was inching closer to his. By the time this whole conversation had passed, her tail was millimeters from his. Finally, her tail curved around his, entwining with it. Atlantis looked over to her, just as a little cloud of mist flew up, accenting the beauty in her face, her eyes. Every marvelous feature about her was accented. She stepped sideways, so she stood against Atlantis, watching out at the ocean. And surprisingly, Atlantis didn't stop her.  
A low growl suddenly rumbled the ground behind them. Two glowing eyes appeared in the dark, as well as a silhouette of a big, burly creature. Suddenly, the Tauros barreled out, catching Atlantis by surprise. Both he and Princess were slammed in the back, a horn sinking into Atlantis's skin. While Princess rocketed forward into the water, Atlantis just fell limp, his body refusing to respond to his commands, and the bull lifted him up over its head in triumph.  
Princess stood up in the shallow water, and quickly hurled herself at the rampaging beast, and rammed it straight in its breast. Atlantis fell to the ground, bleeding incredibly deeply. His mouth was open as his lungs struggled to give his blood the oxygen it needed.  
Tauros shot a glare at Princess as he regained his composure, then lowered his head, preparing to charge. Princess stood in front of Atlantis, ready to defend him with her life. As Tauros rushed by, Princess leaped in the air, and when the charge was over, Tauros had about nine gashes in his sides, and Princess was almost covered in blood. Tauros's horn had scraped along her fragile belly, and somehow, there must've been poison on the bull's horn's tips. Someone had sent it to kill the trainer-hurting Vaporeon...  
Princess looked over at Atlantis some time before the poison took effect, and she ran over to him, the Tauros already dead. She nuzzled his neck, told him it would be all right...though by the size of the wound, and the poison (which she didn't know about), she already knew it would be different. The last thing that she remembered before she passed out was the sound of ambulance sirens in the distance.  
????  
Princess looked over at Atlantis and smiled. Their deaths had been perfectly faked. The only ones who knew they still existed were Nurse Joy and Kasia. It had taken a little while for Atlantis to get used to the way of life where he obeyed the trainer, but he got used to it. At first, it was debt for Princess's saving his life. But after a while, spending time actually battling Princess, and realizing pain wasn't the way of life, he just gave up his ways. He of course vowed to attack a trainer whom clearly mistreated his pokemon, but then again...who would find them in the water pokemon paradise?  
The area was set up much like a true paradise (Zelda fans, picture Zora's Domain from Ocarina of Time and put a few little palm trees and wonderful flowers here and there, and make sure it's not in a cave...there had to be a sky you know...but pow, there it is). A waterfall fed the clear pool of crystal water in the middle. The luscious fruits there could satisfy anyone's hunger. They were there with a wide arrangement of other pokemon...anything from a little, harmless Magikarp to a Blastoise or two, to a Dragonite, whom flew above.  
Princess wrapped her tail around her newfound love's and smiled, and they both looked up, to see a pikachu tied to balloons, flying above them.  



End file.
